The Hunchback of the Countryside
by AGoingUnder88
Summary: Claude Frollo's New Beginning. Alternative ending, completely book-based. Esmeralda is reunited with her mother and Frollo takes them to live in the countryside with Quasimodo, far away from Paris' sinful ways, in hopes of winning Esmeralda's love.
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

_Disclaimer: Victor Hugo owns the Hunchback of Notre Dame._

_Author's Note: Some quotes are borrowed from the novel itself to increase the authenticity of this fan fiction. This fan fiction is how I would have liked the novel to have ended, and picks up on page 506, if you want to read right before there for reference._

Chapter 1: A New Beginning

"I tell you that I belong to my Phoebus, that 'tis Phoebus I love, that Phoebus alone is handsome! You priest, are old! You are ugly! Begone!"

He uttered a violent cry, like the wretch to whom a red-hot iron is applied. "Foolish girl, do you not see that Phoebus, though he may be superficially handsome, lacks any real substance? His soul is not handsome in the slightest, nor is his view of you. He sees you as a mere object, not for the amazing, bewitching person you truly are. He does not even know your beautiful name that is the only sound I can now hear! He only calls you "Similar." That despicable captain cares only for the pleasures of the flesh, he is incapable of real love! Can you not be in love with someone who is actually capable of such an emotion? How can you not understand a love as wonderful as mine? See here, Girl, your lover, Gudule, bring Phoebus and his fiancé, Fleur!"

Sneering, Gudule escorted in the Captain and his fiancé, who had previously been obscured by a loop-hole in the wall. Fuming, Fleur asked Phoebus, "And why is this gypsy girl always causing us so much trouble, Phoebus? Please don't tell me you've lowered yourself enough to even consider someone like her attractive."

Phoebus gazed upon Fleur's bountiful bosom and thought with longing of caressing Fleur's breasts and untying that corset. The only way Phoebus could once again experience the ecstasy of lying with Fleur was to feign ignorance regarding the Gypsy who, though attractive, hardly was worth the trouble she had caused him, including his near murder.

"Why of course not, Fleur, angel of my life! My body, my soul, my blood, are yours. I am all yours,-all yours. I love you, and have never loved anyone but you," cried Phoebus, putting his arm around Fleur. Fleur smiled and then whispered something to Phoebus that caused him to grin sheepishly and quickly escort Fleur back to their home, never looking back at the Gypsy girl who so deeply cared for him.

With a gasp, Esmeralda recognized that the captain was using the very same words he had used on her the fateful day she had been alone with him, the fateful day when Claude Frollo had almost killed the captain. Sobbing, she crumbled to the floor. Frollo felt a stab in his heart and wished that he could somehow make Esmeralda happy, wished that she loved him so that they could leave the wretched lives they both lived and find new ones.

"Phoebus…It can't be…My Sun God….He never loved me…And to think I almost gave up finding my real mother, to think I almost gave up my vow of chastity to one who masquerades as a Sun God but who is in reality a monster with a soul as dark as Quasimodo's face, a soul darker perhaps than even Frollo's own darkness, who at least does not hide what he is," she gasped in between rolling tears. She then removed a little shoe she had in her sachette, hung on her neck by green beads, and softly felt the shoe's fabric, as she did so many times when she felt lost. "Oh Mother, how I wish I could find you so you could comfort me and tell me what I should do…"

With a cry, Gudule brought out a matching shoe and said, "My darling daughter! Little Agnes! I have found you at last! You are the baby I lost so long ago! Although you weep in sorrow, fear not, your mother is here!" Gudule ran to her long lost daughter and took her lovingly in her arms.

"Oh, Mother! I knew I would find you someday!"

"Have you still the same little mark on your neck? Let us see. She has it still. O, how beautiful you are! It was I who gave you those big eyes, miss. My God! My God! Who would have believed it? I have found my daughter!"

"Mother," said Esmeralda softly, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. The happy pair sat in the corner, keeping close in hopes that it would keep them safe, though they knew luck was not on their side.

Frollo was moved by the scene to tears, at last he had brought Esmeralda some happiness, even though he had not known Esmeralda was Gudule's daughter. Frollo now realized that he always wanted to see Esmeralda happy like this, and vowed to win her over by making her as happy as possible, and with a heavy heart realized that she may never be his, but he would rather that she be happy without him and safe than die a miserable death. It was as though a darkness had been removed from his heart when he witnessed the scene and he now experienced true emotion, which he could never learn in his many years in his pursuit of knowledge.

"Gudule, Esmeralda: Esmeralda is still being searched for, we must escape quickly! My parents left me a house in the country that no one ever seeks. Please, come with me and I will keep both of you safe so that you, Gudule, may finally know your daughter and so you Esmeralda, will finally know your mother! I have sinned in the past, but I renounce my former ways in order to make you happy, Esmeralda, because you are my life, and I say that with sincerity, unlike the Phoebus who so wrongfully hurt you. I know, Esmeralda, that you do not trust me and still find me repulsive, but I promise that I will never touch you without your consent, though it drives my blood mad. It is difficult to control myself, which is why Quasimodo is coming with us, to keep me from touching you and to shop for our things, for he is a loyal servant. Quickly, quickly, we must make haste! Follow me, I will keep you safe! It is either this or death!"

Startled, Gudule and Esmeralda did not know what else to do but follow the archdeacon. Gudule trusted him with everything, since he had brought her daughter to her, which meant that any negative impression she had of him was erased. Grabbing Gudule and Esmeralda by the hands, Claude ran up to the bell tower and quickly signed to Quasimodo the new plans that had just been made.


	2. Chapter 2: The Great Escape

Chapter 2: The Great Escape

Quasimodo stared in shock at his master. How could he leave his home, his precious bells, the only world he had ever known? However, if it was the only way to save Esmeralda, then he would gladly sacrifice everything if it only meant that she could find true happiness, safety, and live her life free from the constant fear of persecution.

Thinking Quasimodo did not understand him, Frollo frantically repeated his signs. Sighing, Quasimodo nodded his head, signaling that he would do all what Frollo asked, including protecting Esmeralda from Frollo's unwanted advances, should Frollo lose control.

"Quickly, quickly!" chanted Claude Frollo as Quasimodo gathered all valuables and threw them into a large carriage with 4 horses in front which had been reserved for this very occasion. Incidentally, Jehman's (Claude's brother) gambling had actually paid off for once and he had won such a fine carriage when a wealthy nobleman had lost and actually given the carriage as recompense. Claude thought with a pang of how he had killed his very own brother, who had once been his entire life. Oh, he would do anything to bring back that mischievous laughter that brought joy into his world…Claude prayed silently for his brother, mumbling sorrowfully and then took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand.

"Esmeralda, Gudule, put on these costumes and cover everything but your eyes," said Frollo as he threw them two nun habits with matching cloaks.

Esmeralda hesitated. Could this man who had watched her be tortured really want to save her? Or was this yet another one of his evil devices? Gudule sensed unease in her daughter.

"Agnes, darling, I know it's hard to trust his man after all he's done. But clearly, he is doing God's work for he brought us together. So, we must trust him unconditionally to be saved, that much is clear! It is God's will! Come, child, I will not let anything happen to you," Gudule cried as she squeezed Esmeralda's hand and quickly changed into a nun habit.

Esmeralda followed suit, nodding and too much in shock to protest, in too much misery from Phoebus to really contemplate what she was doing. Despite the scoundrel that he was, she still felt an emptiness in her heart merely from looking at Djali as she and being reminded that Djali could still spell Phoebus' name. Her heart bled with sorrow.

Djali sensed his mistress's distress and bleated sympathetically, nuzzling her hand.

"By Jupiter's thunder, what is that unbearable racket?" moaned a voice from inside the carriage.

Frollo's eyes widened in shock. Could that voice be…?

"Brother, don't you know you can't kill a drunk because he's already dead inside?" smiled Jehman maniacally, stumbling out of the carriage.

Claude wept and embraced his brother, laughing maniacally in relief, ecstatic that he was only presumed dead, but like Phoebus, had emerged alive and well from the unlikeliest of places.

"Jehman, you drunk! I cannot believe you're alive! I'll never deny you money again! Please never stop…"

Sharp, clanking, booted footsteps rudely interrupted. King Louis' police forces were not far behind, screaming for Gypsy blood. Claude snarled.

"I already almost lost her once; I refuse to lose her again. God protect us," Claude beseeched the heavens.

"Ahh, so this is Esmeralda whose name you wrote on the wall, Claude, quite a looker! Well, I'll distract those pesky followers for you with my adorable drunken antics if you promise me a purse full of money so that I may continue my studies," winked Jehman.

Claude smiled at his brother's naïveté and was thankful that despite all his hardships, Jehman remained the same character he had always been. "Oh Jehman, I don't think that you even have the capacity to fear death. Dear brother, take this purse of savings and live your life to the fullest, for everyone has sinned, and it is not in my place to judge those who have when I myself have sinned so heavily. Come visit me in the country house anytime, but please do not bring any of your unsavory companions," Claude said quickly, giving Jehman one final embrace as he slipped him the sachette full of coins. "Now go, and show those guards that life has to be lived to the fullest."

Jehman ambled off into the darkness, causing the guards to stop their patrol for the gypsy girl and roar with laughter when they saw him attempt to drink out of his boot.

Claude took full advantage of the distraction and ushered Gudule and Esmeralda into the carriage as he signed Quasimodo to sit on the outside, heavily cloaked and disguised, guiding the horse speedily in the cloak of nightfall, headed towards the sweet salvation of the countryside, away from their old lives. Sighing, Quasimodo took one last look at his beloved Notre Dame as he willed the horses onwards to a new and better life.


	3. Chapter 3: Reflections

Chapter 3: Reflections

_Author's Note: I attempt to explain Frollo's ostensibly sudden character transformation in this chapter. _

Claude stared at his reflection in the carriage window, not absorbed in the trees flowing past him but instead in how much his behavior had changed from when he told Esmeralda that she should either be his or die. Although many around him did not notice the change because it had been so gradual and since he had only recently made a breakthrough and finally realized the error of his ways, Claude had for many months been genuinely discussing his emotions, fears, and all the deep torturous thoughts that so plagued him, ever since he saw Esmeralda dancing in the square, her swirling skirt making him dizzy with desire. This dizzying desire was too much for Claude to handle so he desperately decided to attempt confessing to one who would never betray his confidence, confessing to a soul even more tortured than he: Gerlude. Although this idea was repugnant, abhorrent, and ostensibly would not solve his problems, Claude would try anything for some comfort from the torture of his thoughts.

Knowing that Gerlude would be too absorbed in her own problems and far too removed from society to spread nasty rumors, Claude had freely unburdened himself onto Gerlude, freeing his soul from malignity and wickedness. Gerlude had comforted him in a way Claude had not thought possible: she had merely listened, and not judged, sighing sympathetically at the sadder aspects of his venting. Between sobbing, Gerlude had also spoken to him of the true meaning of love and of how it made life worth living, despite the pain it often caused. Gerlude had even returned to Claude a faith in God that he thought he had lost because despite her sadness, she believed that she would be reunited with her daughter someday, even if she had to wait until heaven for that opportunity. Claude had so frequently spoken to Gerlude through her dark window, through her self-imposed prison cloaked in black and disguised as the night, and had only recently revealed his true identity when he realized he could help her gain revenge on the gypsies in return for her cleansing his soul.

Gerlude, in turn, now knew the entire story behind Claude Frollo's dark deeds, and thus could not fault him or be angry for the terrible intentions he had with her daughter since the poor tortured soul had been through so much that it was really a miracle he had not hung himself much earlier in his tragic, academic-driven life. Instead, Gerlude merely felt pity that Claude's parents had left him at such a critical time and that he had been too busy with books to learn the importance of love. Gerlude now hoped that somehow, Claude and Esmeralda could find happiness together and learn to truly love each other, without the prejudices of appearance, lust, or the past deterring them from pursuing the happy ending they both deserved. Gerlude knew from experience how difficult it was to forget the past, but saw her reunion with her precious daughter as a sign that perhaps, just perhaps, Claude and Esmeralda could overcome all obstacles in the past and develop emotions they did not know existed.

One month ago, Claude would have never had the peace of mind he had now, or be so open as to admit how deep his obsession with Esmeralda really ran in his mind, consuming every spare thought. Although his entire body burned with lust for her still, a new emotion that he was unfamiliar with gained momentum in his heart as he learned more about the beautiful gypsy from following her. He felt protective of her, entranced by every aspect of her being, which was much deeper than her striking beauty. He saw her kindness, her purity, her zest for life, her unwavering optimism despite all the difficulties she faced. She was the very opposite of him: she was heaven's light and he appeared to be the underworld's darkness, consumed by hell's fire. And thus, despite the constant pain and desire that had once driven him to madness, Claude relented to this newly developed emotion instead and beseeched Quasimodo to protect him from himself, to not cause any harm to that which he cared for more than the entire world.

"Phoebus!" screamed Esmeralda as she awoke from a start from yet another nightmare. Claude was sharply pulled away from his musings on his transformation as he felt a stab to his heart at hearing that despicable name uttered by her beautiful lips again. Clearly, Claude's transformation was not enough to make him forget jealousy, the ugly emotion that obscured the so novel love that Claude still did not completely understand. As he watched Gerlude wrap her arms around her lovely daughter and comfort her with a soothing lullaby, he longed to, just for a moment, be in Gerlude's place and caress Esmeralda instead. Oh, or if only he could be Djali and feel Esmeralda's hand caress his face as she caressed the goat's fur. Alas, she still saw Claude as completely repulsive.

"I know how difficult it is to lose someone too, Esmeralda. My parents left me when I was about your age. And although your Phoebus may not be dead, he is incapable of feeling true love, which is a fate even worth than death," whispered Claude softly, averting his gaze from her penetrating, emerald eyes. Gazing upon her beauty was too much for him now that he had to control himself from reverting to his lustful ways. Startled that the leering, violent, dark, enraged priest could speak softly and gently enough to appear human, Esmeralda wondered if perhaps appearances could be deceiving. After all, had not her "Sun God" Phoebus left her feeling in a darker despair that she had ever known? And had not this priest, despite all the evil he had done to her in the past, now saved her from death and reunited her with her mother? Was the Priest not as ugly as he seemed? Were people really capable of changing that much?

The carriage came to a halt, screeching wooden wheels causing Esmeralda to pout and cringe at the sound. Claude smiled on seeing that so familiar pout, hopeful that since Esmeralda had reverted to this expression, perhaps with time she would eventually smile and laugh again.

Quasimodo tapped the glass, glancing nervously about.

"Master, we've arrived at a Royal Checkpoint!" he nervously whispered.

Heart pounding, Claude truly hoped that his chance to make Esmeralda happy would not be squelched before he even had the chance to try.


End file.
